Wednesday, December 24, 2014

The Seattle's Best Coffee Dream Journal is back! In it's 4th year too! Such a perfect present for those who still like planning and organizing with an organizer notebook, and a pretty one at that, not to mention with lots and lots of freebies inside like you wouldn't believe!

Monday, December 15, 2014

........For some parts of the world anyway... Since the Philippines is a tropical country we never get the chance to play dress up with gorgeous trench coats, funky boots, and beautiful sweaters. So if you have the chance to spend an autumn vacation in a different country, you might as well want to really plan out your outfit! (I swear the next time we go to Japan I'm really wearing something more fashionable hahaha!) And of course when you're taking your little ones with you, that's extra fun dressing them up too!

One of the best places to start is H&M's All for Children Collection. Not only will you get really snazzy autumn wear for your kids, but you'd be doing it for a good cause as well!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Cakes signify celebration. Whether it's a big party celebrating a big holiday, or a small intimate celebration of someone finally accomplishing something, or celebrating an anniversary, or even monthsary. A cake will always be something a person can give that will truly be appreciated.

But imagine if you can decorate the cake yourself? Adding your personal touch, expressing yourself by making your own decoration... That will surely mean the world to the person receiving it.

And so when I received this cool Decorate-Your-Cake kit for Goldilocks' Decorate Your Christmas activity, I was giddy! Not only because I get to create a Christmas cake for my family, but because I've secretly been itching to try decorating my own cake every time I would see Goldilock's Decorate Your Cake billboard along EDSA haha!

Saturday, November 29, 2014

I've never been the one to put a lot of make up. That's because I don't really know how. So I always opt for simple make up that will simply cover up all the haggardness in and out. (And then some lipstick so I won't look like the walking dead.)

And when I saw this Stay Up Foundation from Etude House, I thought to myself "This is is more my style!"

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

I was doing my usual business of browsing the App Store once in a while when I noticed all the icons of most of the apps are in color red. Reminded every of my math grades back in elementary and high school. But all kidding aside, these red icon apps have a great reason behind it...

Apple and (RED) have been collaborating together for years to help fight AIDS in Africa. And this year, they've extended this collaboration by including apps from iTunes.

It started last November 7 until December, every time you purchase any (RED) product apps in iTunes, 100% of the proceeds will go to Global Fund to help aid the fight for AIDS.

Monday, November 24, 2014

It's hard not to get fond of these funny adorable Disney fairies!Photo credit

I didn't really like Tinkerbell before. Especially in Peter Pan. She's this jealous mischievous little fairy who would do anything to bring Wendy down just because she's jealous of all the attention that Peter Pan is giving Wendy. So when I saw that Disney created a computer animation centered on Tinkerbell, I didn't think I would like it. Then came our little bundle of joy, our little Rainbow.

Richie likes getting videos for our little Rainbow to watch. Especially now that Rain is at a stage where she understands what she watches, and likes copying what they do (That's why we always let her watch shows only appropriate for her age. Like Disney Junior & Sesame Street) And one time, Richie made her watch a Tinkerbell movie. After that. we were hooked. Yes. "we". Including me!

This features Tinkerbell and shows how she became a fairy, and all her adventures in Pixie Hollow before she met Peter Pan. I loved it!!! And so did Rain! That being said, we completed the whole list!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

I love how this line of the song really promotes law of attraction, which I am a firm believer in.

But anyway, the Disney animation that has been popular ever since I can remember, and still ever so popular until today's generation (and probably forever), has worked its way back to the big screen! We've been seeing the glass slipper teaser poster and now the official US trailer is here! :-)

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

As a child, I have to admit I wasn't the model student. I wasn't rebel or anything but I never made it to any top positions.I hated math. I hated memorizing dates in history. And that was okay for me. But one thing I did know is that I loved art. Anything that required creativity, I was interested in. And I'd like to think I was pretty good at it. Not expert good but pretty good. And it's something that I hope little Rainbow will take an interest as well while growing up.

Right now, Rain can only do scribbles. Hardly any shapes being formed yet when he scribbles on a paper. But with a little practice, I'm sure she will get the hang of it. And a fun art class like Global Art will really help as well! Global Art is this amazing world-class art enrichment program for children starting toddlers, all the way to teenagers.

I went there a few days ago to check it out and you won't believe what these young children can do with art materials!

Monday, November 17, 2014

It's certainly an early Christmas at Marriott Hotel. With their lobby beautifully decorated with their tall Christmas tree, and their almost life-sized choo choo train made of gingerbread beautifully parked in the middle of their main lobby, you can really feel that Christmas is in the air!

Friday, November 14, 2014

One fine Monday, my little family and I (no pun intended), went on a fun road trip to the South, up in the cool mountains of Tagaytay. One of the coolest place in the Philippines. It's been a while since we last went, but this was the first time we would get to see the simple beauty of Hotel Kimberley. One of the most kid-friendly hotels I've ever stayed on.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A couple of weeks ago, we went on a fun road trip, headed for the South in Tagaytay for our first ever out-of-town Halloween trip! But before heading straight, we made sure to stop over at Shell along SLEX to gas up as well as a quick check of the oil and water. Better be safe than sorry, right? And thank you to Shell, I also learned a few tips and tricks on fuel-efficient driving! Read on! These tips might surprise you!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

I think it was some time around 2010 during the first ever Best Food Forward that we attended when we first tasted The Fruit Garden. Fruit Garden makes these spectacular jars of delicious innovative jams using only the best fruits and flavors, creating unique taste that will tickle your taste buds. I'm not much of a jam person but I have to admit I really liked The Fruit Garden .

And now, they are featuring their 2014-2015 Festive Collection, just in time for the coming Holidays!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

EVP, Head of PLDT HOME Business Ariel Fermin and Dept. of Education Asst. Sec. Toni Umali

It’s been weeks but I’m still in awe of the biggest teacher gathering of the year, the PLDT Gabay Guro Grand Gathering. Yep, it was pretty much a huge star-studded concert, where over 20,000 teachers from all over the country gathered and enjoyed an evening of entertainment from the best performers in the country, and where lots of amazing I-can’t-believe-it prizes were given away to lots of lucky winners!

One of the best prizes given out was not just the motorcycle, tricycle, car, and the house and lot, but if you ask me, the PLDT KaAsenso Cyberya was one with great potential. Why? Because it’s a business opportunity.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Usually one would refer to "Halloween" as the theme. But during our experience last weekend, it was definitely an Oreo-themed Halloween! I know you can do a lot of dessert recipes with Oreos, but the SoMoms (who graciously invited me and my family to their out-of-town Halloween trip) definitely showed lots of fun things one can do with an Oreo cookie that will guarantee your family buckets of fun!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

I remember buying these M&Ms headphones at JFK Airport on our way back to Manila because I thought they were cute. When I wear them, it looks like I have M&Ms inside my ears. It looked really cool. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the sound quality. It sounded like music out of a can. Money down the drain. I mean, was it just a toy for kids?!

Anyway, my little toddler now is at that stage where she really enjoys music. Music from all the animations she watches. Particularly songs from Disney's Princess Sofia the First, Tinkerbell, Daniel Tiger, and more. Hence, for long trips I think she will need to start using headphones.

I've never tried letting Rain use any type of earphones. Mainly because my current headphones are my iPhone's in-ear headphones which I'm pretty sure is not for kids. If she ever has the need to wear a headphone, it should be something kid-friendly, but at the same time has the same good quality as an adult's real headphones. Not like the M&Ms headphones I got.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

My husband Richie has a fetish for containers. I'm also not sure why. But he does. So whenever we would see a nice looking plastic container, the type where you can store lunch or snacks, he gets drawn to it. And sometimes ends up buying. But as all of us know, these plastic containers really take up so much space in our kitchen cabinets when not in use. And they always end up tumbling out as soon as I attempt to open the cabinet.

Friday, October 31, 2014

I think it was about a year ago in Greenbelt 5 when this pink shoe with a purple bow caught my eye. I was looking for a comfortable shoe for Rain that she can wear anywhere that will look stylish, and at the same time will give Rain comfort. I picked it up and recognized that there was a certain strawberry scent to it. It reminded me a lot of those scented stationary sets when I was in grade school. I immediately liked it and we bought it for Rain. That's when I first discovered about Mini Melissa shoes.

And then I remember taking an Instagram photo of this cute kiddie sandals with an 8-bit heart design in Bonifacio High Street. And turns out, it was also Mini Melissa.

Needless to say, I was becoming drawn to Mini Melissa shoes because not only are they just so darn attractive, they are also very comfortable to wear for kids! Mini Melissa shoes are comfy stylish shoes for little girls from 1-5 years old.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

I can only imagine the giddiness on the Jollitown children fan's faces as soon as their parents told them about Jollitown coming to life! This big fun event all happened just this previous Sunday at the SMX Convention Center. They have ssuccessfullytransformed a whole activity function room into a Jollitown wonderland! It was like a theme park of balloon houses with lots of toys for all members of the Jollibee Kids Club! A total of 13 fun activity areas for kids and kids at heart!

Sunday, October 26, 2014

It's almost the end of October once again and one thing comes to mind at this part of the year: HALLOWEEN! And that does not only mean scary tricks, but it also means delicious treats as well! So of course, Krispy Kreme has already whipped up some delicious spooky donut treats for us!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

I remember when I was a little girl, I was in love with the Disney animation Aladdin. At night before I went to sleep, I would often dream about personally meeting these characters and being BFFs with them. But what hurt was that I knew that it could only be a dream. I know all kids are like this up to a certain age. They idolize certain characters so much that they want these characters to be real. So imagine the delight of a child when they see a certain character come to life and actually interact with them? That, dear parents, is priceless!

Here is my little celebrant during her birthday, trying to process if what she's seeing is actually a familiar happy snowman that she only sees in the screen... Who is it?....

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

For two straight years, Rain has been a Sesame Street baby. So her first 2 birthdays has been Sesame Street-themed. But as she turns 3, (and with a little influence from her mama hehehe) she has turned her attention to all things princess-y! And as always, my ever dependable mom-in-law transformed her backyard into a Disney Princess Fantasy land! I must say she really did an excellent excellent job! So I wanted to share it with you!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

I vividly remember using up what's left of my mental abilities to store photographic memories of the step-by-step process of swaddling, the day after I gave birth. The lactation nurse at The Medical City seemed to be the only one who could do it perfectly. Not even the other nurses could do it as neat and as snug as she did. So every time we would call for her to swaddle, I would try to record the step-by-step in my mind. But somehow it still wasn't the same. I was starting to think she was magical! Haha!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Or is it just me or do all girls get excited to use a brand new shampoo or conditioner? Girls are weird. And I'm one of those weirdos. Admittedly. Hahaha! So imagine how excited I was to take a bath as soon as I received the new generation of Palmolive Naturals shampoo and conditioner! 5 new variants for me to try, and all in their new sleek look!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

I don't often go to nail spas on a regular basis. But when I do, I'd like it to be worth it! And there are a few nail salons that have reasonable prices but offer great value. And ECRU Nail Salon doesn't only offer beauty and relaxation, but most importantly, they also get a high score in sanitation! Plus, they have some other services that got me by surprise! Let me show you...

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Kat from A View From The Leftie, Not only is she a left-handed blogger with a bubbly personality, but she's a girl with a real talent in chemistry! It was from her that I first smelled a matcha-scented perfume! And it smelled really good! Yep, you could say she really does know her way around the... uh... I want to say lab?

And kudos to her to taking her perfume-making talent to the next level by creating these amazing personalized perfumes in personalized bottles! Introducing Archaic Era!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Get huge discounts up to 55% as you get exclusive access to special offers on the 2nd Visit Discovery Travel Mart! It will be on October 10-12 at the Mega Fashion Hall, and then on October 13-16 on the Mega Atrium!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Since it was my first time to attend a PLDT Gabay Guro event, I was a little disoriented. I thought it was like a the usual events I would attend to like the PLDT Ultera event . So imagine my surprise when I saw the huge crowd outside. And when I say huge, I mean HUGE! So huge that the whole Arena was filled from top to bottom! It was crazy amazing! And to think that all of these are teachers! (Over 20,000 teachers from all over the country!) All unsung heroes that patiently teach and train our children to be our future! It was so heart-warming to see them all so excited to see their favorite stars! Being dubbed as the biggest teacher gathering of the year is an understatement. I firmly believed this could have been the biggest teacher gathering in the whole world ever!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

I have always loved Ortigas Center. For me it's like Makati but to a smaller scale, which is better because it means everything is walking distance. I enjoyed working there during my on-the-job training until my real first work, and 2nd work, and so on. There are 3 malls, a huge beautiful hospital, and lots and lots of restaurants to dine in. And yes, there are a good selection of hotels too! And one of your best bets would be the 2014 Traveler's Choice Winner of Trip Advisor. Oakwood Premier Manila!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

I'm going to be honest. I haven't heard of the brand Cocorose London until recently. Leave it to me to be so clueless when it comes to fashion brands. (I actually dream of being ambushed for a make over in that show Ambush Makeover haha!) But anyway, even if I'm clueless when it comes to the latest trends in fashion, I do know what type of style I need for my everyday adventures.... from simple malls to sometimes formal events for the blog...

And that, my friends, is COMFORTABLE STYLISH SHOES!

I need something that is comfortable to wear all day long, but at the same time looks really presentable in case of an emergency formal event. Plus not to mention something that will allow me to chase my toddler around with ease. Which is why I've been drawn to fold-able flats. I've tried two brands already. And Cocorose London is to be my third.And I was oh so lucky to be one of the invitees to their exclusive preview of their Autumn Winter 2014 Collection!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

I've been seeing this blue bottle in supermarkets but never really paid attention because it looked expensive. But I never really checked. But this time for some reason I decided to try it out. I was contemplating on getting this or the other brand with Disney Princesses on the bottle. But after computing and comparing, I realized this was a lot better in so many ways. I can safely say that so far it's the best shampoo I've tried on my little Rainbow toddler.

Why do I love thee? Let me count the ways (in no particular order)...

First of all, it's 3-in-1. It's a shampoo, a conditioner, and a body wash! It's really hitting 3 birds with one stone. And it's only like Php200+ for 665 mL.

Second of all, it's tear-free!

Third of all, I love its conditioning powers! I can immediately feel the softness of Rain's hair while shampooing her. It's so great that it has cut Rain's comb time in more than half. Seriously! I've always struggled with combing Rain's hair in the past how many shampoos. This one makes combing a breeze! So soft!

And last but not the least, it smells great and the smell really stays! It's so far it's the only shampoo that smells great on Rain's hair until the end of the day.

I seriously swear by this product. Reasonably-priced, excellent quality, perfect for toddlers. All-in-all, a great value for money! No wonder a lot of moms have been using Suave Kids. I'm sorry for ignoring you, Suave!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, that's Rain in a pail, in a bathtub. A good water-saving tip for little toddlers to "swim" hehehe ;-)

Friday, September 19, 2014

A lot of Filipinos now are getting more techie. I, for one have more and more aunts and uncles that are even more active in Facebook than me. Everyone’s on Facebook, and everyone has different kinds of chat apps that the normal texting and calling is not used as much anymore. I mean who needs to when you can do it all over an app, as long as you’re connected on the internet, right? Almost everyone is almost always online.

I’ve lost count but there are honestly a lot of chat apps that you can download over the internet nowadays. And I believe it continuously grows as I type. But which one is best worldwide? I guess it’s really hard to tell and it depends on each person’s needs. But if you’re looking for an app that you can use for easy communication between you and your family, there’s a new app you can use made for Filipinos by PLDT. It’s the new PLDT heyÜ app!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

So remember that time when I was venting out that there were no play places in Greenhills where I could leave my 2 year old daughter to play while I attended to something? Turns out I was wrong. There IS a play place in Greenhills. And apparently, it's been there for TEN YEARS!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

I've been seeing this toy in YouTube for quite some time now, because Rain keeps landing on them when she watches her favorite kiddie videos in YouTube (Disclaimer, with my supervision! I'm being defensive haha!). Anyway, since my little Rainbow is fond of playing with little dolls wherein she can alter them in some way, I thought she would really love these Disney Princess Clip On Dresses!

So back in June, when Richie asked me what toy he should get for Rain while he was in the states, this was on the top of my list!

Monday, September 15, 2014

My little Rainbow is already turning 3 this coming October. Most of the kids here in our neighbor, some even younger than Rain, have already started school in one of the nurseries in our village. And frankly I've been a bit pressured thinking I should also already send Rain to school. But at the same time, I also believe that the traditional schools focuses more on socializing. And I was worried that I might just compare Rain with other kids that might already know how to add. (exaggerating). But something inside me didn't feel that Rain is ready to start real school.

I want Rain to go to a place where she can do some fun activities and at the same time have fun in learning. A learning place that she won't be "graded" yet with the number of alphabets or numbers that she memorizes.

So now I'm thanking my lucky stars that I discovered Ready Steady Go Kids through the invite of Janice (Mommy Mundo). She introduced me and other mommy bloggers to the people who brought this brilliant Preschool sport and exercise program from Australia, and is now operating in more than 150 locations in Australia and across Asia! And I was so happy Rain got to try it!